I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for an automotive vehicle.
II. Description of Related Art
Modern day automotive vehicles are highly sophisticated systems which contain as many as 70 or even more different control systems for controlling the various functions of the vehicle. These control systems include sensors and/or actuators and are associated with systems as simple as a door lock, to more complex systems such as the engine controller, transmission controller, stability controller, active suspension, and the like.
Currently, the electronic architecture of the automobile typically consists of a number of self-contained subsystems that communicate with each other through a shared network interface or bus, such as a CAN bus. These various subsystems, furthermore, are typically constructed by diverse suppliers so that each subsystem has its own hardware and its own software design. This, in turn, makes the in-vehicle integration of the various subsystems, testing, and troubleshooting of the subsystems challenging as well as time consuming. Furthermore, each subsystem typically includes its own processor for determining the status of one or more sensors and issuing the appropriate output signals to actuate actuators, so that the overall cost of the individual systems is quite high.
The current electronic architecture of automotive vehicles also makes it difficult to update or introduce new features to a car that has already been built and/or distributed to a customer. In fact, in many cases, it is virtually impossible to retrofit new functionalities into a car once completed. Even if it is possible to retrofit new functionalities, complete replacement of one or more multiple parts, or the entire subsystem, may be required thus increasing the overall cost of the retrofit. Furthermore, in many safety-critical functions, such as the steer-by-wire or autonomous driving subsystem, replacing a few parts in an automobile is not a feasible solution since it would be necessary for the entire vehicle to undergo extensive safety testing.